


For Life

by baeconandeggs, starrykwaii



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adoption, Domestic, Family, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:28:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24428005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs, https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrykwaii/pseuds/starrykwaii
Summary: All it took for them to found each other was stick figure drawings and a little boy.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 50
Kudos: 260
Collections: BAE2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:** BAE243  
>  **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author's Note:** Thank you J. I don't know what I'll do without you. Thank you to @bbhchnylexol for helping me beta this and pushing me through those drafts. Really helps a lot! I hope you'll enjoy it!

The bittersweet smell of coffee filled the room as serene melodies played through the small Marshall, wafting together in harmony, giving nothing but bliss to the caffeine-hungry consumer. The calm night was a luxury to Baekhyun as the café was always bustling with customers’ fulfilling their daily dose of coffee to get through the day. He scanned the common area, watching the customers perform their best in whatever they were doing and that gave Baekhyun a sense of accomplishment. It was good to know his coffee was giving people the strength they needed. 

He turned around on his heels and was off to do his work. Happily cleaning and organizing his station, he hums along to the tune dancing around. He had always liked soothing and relaxing sounds and was never a fan of loud music. That was why when a group of customers had asked him if they could change the music to something else, he paused for a moment before allowing them to. The calming night will soon disappear, he thought.

“Thank you so much for allowing us to change the music. We will come here every day and buy a dozen coffees from now on.” They chimed and giddily ran back to their table.

Baekhyun wasn’t one to listen to radios or talk shows because they were always loud with big laughter and upbeat music.

“You met thousands of people but none of them really touched you,” a deep, comforting voice greeted through the speakers, “and then you met the one who appreciates you for who you are, the one who would travel to the moon for you, the one who couldn’t live without you.” Captivated, Baekhyun turned his head towards the speakers. “And your whole life is changed. Do you have someone that comes to mind?” A low chuckle echoed from the Marshall, and as if entranced, Baekhyun too let out a small giggle. “Listeners of Blooming Day, good evening. This is Blooming Day’s Loey, together we will reminisce those sweet memories of your loved ones.”

Unconsciously, a smile bloomed on Baekhyun’s face as he continued to listen to the RJ. The days had always gone by painfully slow for Baekhyun but that one hour felt like a minute. They were reaching the end of today’s show of Blooming Day already.

“Loey’s Blooming Day’s listeners, sometimes it is an awful feeling to love someone so much that you hate them for leaving you. We all deserve to be happy. You and you too and I want that for you. Always…”.

One of the previous customers walked up to the counter, a smile plastered on her face. “Thank you again for letting us listen to Blooming Day.”

“No problem. I am glad you requested to listen to the radio. I enjoyed listening to it.” Ending their conversation, Baekhyun returned her a sweet smile, one which made the innocent young lady fall in love as a blush colored her cheeks. She let out a loud ‘I’ll come again’ before darting towards the door, leaving behind her confused friends.

“Always the heartbreaker.”

“You saw that?” Baekhyun drily chuckled. It wasn’t the first time he had received that kind of reaction. In fact, what Minseok said might as well be true. Baekhyun had adorable round eyes with cute mochi cheeks to boot, an angelic smile decorating his equally angelic face and a very out-going personality. One had to be a fool to not fall for him. Either that or you needed to be Kim Minseok.

“How could I not when she clearly screamed at the top of her lungs.” Minseok moved closer, nudging Baekhyun’s arm with his elbow. “I’ll come again!” Minseok imitated the poor, innocent girl.

Baekhyun rubbed his palms across his face in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. He would never hear the end of this.

The night quietly passed, the customers left one by one until only Baekhyun and Minseok were left. They closed the cafe and both went their separate ways with Minseok riding his Vespa and Baekhyun heading towards the nearest bus stop. Minseok had always offered Baekhyun a ride but the latter would always reject him, jokingly saying his boyfriend is home and he doesn’t want Minseok to meet the boyfriend just yet when Minseok clearly knows the little devil isn’t dating anyone right now.

Plugging in his earphones, his ride home was a blissful one as Baekhyun replayed the recording of Blooming Day, skipping the songs only to listen to Loey’s deep, comforting voice. Baekhyun got off and was walking back home to his place, alone with the sound of melodic music wafted softly in his earphones. Just as he keyed in the password to his automated lock, he saw something protruding out of his letterbox.

An envelope. A small yellow envelope.

Baekhyun took the envelope, walked into his apartment and ripped the envelope open to find a child’s drawing. There was nothing else drawn on it except for three stick figures.  _ Weird _ , Baekhyun thought to himself.

+

When Baekhyun had woken up from his sleep, the sun wasn’t up yet, blanketing soundless sleepers under its darkness. Despite sleep heavy on his eyelids, he forced himself out of bed and changed his pajamas to something more acceptable to be worn outside in the cold harsh winter. Pulling on his sneakers, he exited his apartment, turning around to check in his letterbox. There it was again. The same yellow envelope from before. Baekhyun took it and shoved it in his bag.

As he was just about to head for the elevator, he felt a pair of eyes on him. Baekhyun turned his head around but there was no one. A small boy slowly walked out of the unit next to Baekhyun’s. His glittering innocent eyes met Baekhyun’s and the latter could feel his heart melting.

“Hey there,” Baekhyun cooed, bending down to the boy’s eye level. “Good morning! You’re up early.”

The little boy remained silent, instead bowing his head slightly with his hands lined on his belly, never breaking eye contact with Baekhyun.

_ Cute! _ Baekhyun had to hold himself back from pinching the little boy’s plump cheeks. “Are you going to school now? Where are your parents?” Baekhyun tilted his head to the left, hoping to see someone coming out of the unit next to his. There was no one.

“Daddy is asleep.” The little boy mumbled his reply. “Daddy is tired. Yong-ie didn’t want to wake him up. Yong-ie can go to school by himself.”

Silence befalls them.

Baekhyun could imagine how anxious the little boy’s dad would be when he found his child missing. “Why doesn’t Yongie wait for daddy to wake up? He’ll be very worried.” Baekhyun tried to reason with the little boy but the gleam in the latter’s eyes suggested otherwise.

“No!” The little boy puffed his cheeks, ready to throw a tantrum. “Yong-ie can do this alone. Don’t want to wake up daddy.” The little boy was about to march forward, determined to go to school alone, but was blocked by Baekhyun.

Silence crept in once again, with neither of them breaking eye contact.

“Umm…” Baekhyun wracked his brain to come up with a solution real fast. He couldn’t possibly let the boy go alone. “Yong-ie, would you like it if I tag along with you? I am on my way to work too.” Baekhyun opted to plead with the little boy instead of ordering around, worried if he did, the little boy would throw an even bigger tantrum.

“You want to tag along?” The little boy’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Let’s go!” The little boy pulled on Baekhyun’s free hand and headed towards the elevator.

Baekhyun let out a sigh as he took one last look at the unit next to his, guilt creeping into his conscience as he imagined the horrified father. He made a mental note to ask the teacher to inform the little boy’s father as soon as he arrived.

“Yong-ie. What’s your full name?” Baekhyun asked with a gentle voice. 

“Ji-yong. Park Ji-yong.”

_ A dragon. That explains the fierceness.  _ “My name is Baekhyun. Byun Baekhyun. Nice to meet you Jiyong!” Baekhyun beamed, shaking Jiyong’s tiny hand.

The rest of the ride was filled with random talks; from Jiyong’s hobbies to Masked Rider Wizard - a show which Baekhyun enjoyed watching too. Laughter filled the back of the bus along with squeals of excitement from Jiyong. Other bus passengers - especially the ladies - couldn’t help but coo at Jiyong’s bright personality and Baekhyun’s easy-going attitude. Some even paused by them before hopping off the bus just to say they are cute together.

They arrived at their stop and walked for another 5 minutes before arriving at Jiyong’s school. Except it wasn’t a primary school like Baekhyun had assumed. It was a nursery school.

“Hey, Yong-ie. How old are you?”

“Four…” Jiyong replied nonchalantly. “Teacher!” He exclaimed before running towards someone, letting go of Baekhyun’s hand.

Baekhyun’s head was filled with his own thoughts;  _ Jiyong is four years old… I just took off with the toddler without informing the parent… Is this considered kidnapping? Am I— am I a criminal now?  _ Baekhyun’s face darkened at his last thought.  _ I’m a criminal now. _

“Baekhyun?”

A familiar voice snapped Baekhyun out of reality. His head shot right up and his eyes met with a pair of curious ones. “Jongdae?”

“What are you doing here?”

Seeing Jongdae in front of him, he couldn’t be more relieved. Tears threatened to stream down his face as he hugged his best friend. At least Jongdae could stand in as his witness.

Jongdae didn’t return the hug, dumbfounded with the current situation he’s in; why is Baekhyun with Jiyong and sending him off to the nursery? Where is Jiyong’s father? And why is Baekhyun crying and hugging him? These questions ran around in his head when he felt a tug at his sleeve. It was Jiyong.

“Yong-ie came to school without daddy today. This hyung helped Yong-ie. Yong-ie did a good job, right?” Jiyong said with a bashful smile, feeling proud of his accomplishment, unbeknownst to the horrified expression both Jongdae and Baekhyun had. “Baekhyun-ie hyung. Come here. Yong-ie wants to show hyung something.” Innocent as he is, with a proud smile, he trotted towards his classroom - Sunshine Room.

Baekhyun and Jongdae's eyes trailed Jiyong, both of them slowly turning towards each other after Jiyong was out of sight.

“You just—”

“I know.”

“Did you—”

“I didn’t.”

“Are you—”

“Apparently I am.”

Jongdae shook his head, letting out a sigh as he watched his friend rock back and forth, hugging his knees on the ground. Baekhyun was mumbling something along the lines of ‘I’m a criminal’ or whatever but Jongdae wasn’t about to feed his over-exaggerated imagination. With another sigh, Jongdae pulled Baekhyun up and dusted off dirt from the latter’s clothes.

“I’ll talk to Jiyong’s dad about this so don’t worry,” Jongdae held onto Baekhyun’s shoulders firmly, snapping him out of his own world. “I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. Now, go. It’s almost opening time. I’m sure Minseok would kill you for coming in late.”

“I’ll go after I say goodbye to Yong-ie.” Baekhyun took off his shoes and walked over to Sunshine Room. A board with family photos and a drawing of three stick figures plastered all over it was hung right outside Yong-ie’s classroom. Baekhyun scanned the pictures to see the boy’s family but there was none. “Where’s Yong-ie’s family photo?”

“He doesn’t have one.”

“What? Which one? The photo or the family?”

+

Baekhyun was convinced he was going to jail.

Jongdae had assured him before that Jiyong’s guardian wasn’t mad at Baekhyun like he had feared and had been thankful to Baekhyun for accompanying his son to the nursery. He had told him this several times like when Baekhyun called him after Jongdae had finished his work, when they were conversing in the group chat room with Minseok in it, when Jongdae dropped by to pick up Minseok but none got through Baekhyun.

Me

_ Are you sure he didn’t mind? _

Whinny Jongster

_ It has been a few days already _

_ Can you stop this? _

_ Want me to smack your head? _

Me

_ I kidnapped his son! _

_ This is no time for smacking _

Whinny Jongster

_ K _

Baekhyun sighed as he slid his phone into his back pocket, replacing it with the yellow envelope he had received earlier. The barista then stared at the letter neatly placed on the cafe’s station. The barista bet it was another stick figure drawing, the same ones he had been getting for days. He reached out to the envelope only to retract his hand back. This went on for a while before Minseok snatched the envelope right in front of him.

“What’s this? A love letter?” Minseok flipped it around, probably looking for an address or the sender’s name, but found nothing written on it. Unsatisfied, he tried smelling the letter, hoping to catch a whiff of the stereotypical love letter scent but instead, he smelled something else. “This letter smells like a baby.”

Baekhyun whipped his head towards Minseok, snatching back the envelope. “I think someone is trying to voodoo me. There’s a customer at the counter. Go, shoo. Attend the register.” Baekhyun waved his hand dismissively, his eyes still fixed on the yellow envelope in his other hand. He flipped the envelope around, finally willing to open it but when Minseok called out orders to him he had no choice but to stuff it back in his apron’s pocket.

After ending their shift, Minseok and Baekhyun parted ways as usual but this time no ride offers were given since the former said he had plans with Jongdae tonight. Baekhyun didn’t mind, he would have rejected the offer anyway. He boarded the bus, fiddled with his earphones jacked into his phone. Loey’s deep voice resonated in Baekhyun’s ears, causing a smile to bloom. The RJ was reading postcards sent by listeners and that made Baekhyun remember the envelope he received. Stepping off the bus, the barista reached for the envelope in his backpack, rummaging around before he took out the envelope in his hand.

“Baekhyun?” A familiar voice calls out to him.

He lifted his head and his eyes met with a pair of relieved eyes. “Jongdae? I thought you have plans with Minseok?” As he finished, his eyes trailed down to the child next to Jongdae. “Yong-ie?”

“Yes, I do and I’m late,” Jongdae replied, as he hastily sat down on the single seat in front of Baekhyun and prompted Jiyong to sit next to the latter. “Hey, remember the many times I have helped you before, I’m now giving you a chance to repay me. Take Jiyong home, would you? Thanks.” Before Baekhyun had any say in this, Jongdae pressed the bell to alert the driver he was getting off. “Jiyong, be good and follow Baekhyun, okay? Tell him Teacher is very sorry.” With another thanks and a pat on the shoulder, Jongdae left like the wind, leaving Jiyong with Baekhyun.

They both watched as Jongdae ran until he was out of sight. Baekhyun’s eyes fell on Jiyong who was staring back at him and said, “I guess you’re stuck with me now, Jiyong.” Baekhyun rested his hands on Jiyong’s head, the envelope was still in his hand. “How was today? Was it fun?”

Jiyong nodded, his eyes were sparkling, Baekhyun noted, “Today was fun! Yong-ie got to read a storybook and Teacher Kim let us play outside and Yong-ie made a new friend today!” Jiyong was giddy, almost jumping in his seat.

“Really?” Baekhyun couldn’t help but coo at the little boy. “Wow, you made a new friend. Congratulations! Our Yong-ie is so sweet.”

Jiyong beamed at him. His big, round eyes fell onto the yellow envelope in Baekhyun’s hand, “What is this?” Jiyong asked innocently.

Baekhyun patted the little boy’s head as he replied, “Someone played a prank on hyung. It’s probably nothing.” He stuffed the letter back in his bag, slung it over his shoulders before picking Jiyong up. “Let’s go”

“Why don’t hyung open it? Maybe there are candies inside!” Jiyong said, still clinging onto Baekhyun’s neck. “Then we can share it. We can share it with daddy too!”

“Daddy?” Baekhyun replied, punching in the passcode to his house.

“Yeah! Daddy loves candies.” Jiyong unwound his arms from around Baekhyun’s neck as the latter slowly put him down on the couch. “Daddy will be so happy if he gets candy from Baekhyun-ie hyung.”

“How would you know that?”

“Anyone would be happy if they get candy.” Jiyong beamed.

The boy went on and on, telling exciting stories about his father and Baekhyun couldn’t help but coo at him, nodding and responding to everything the little boy said. After a long session of story-telling, Baekhyun noticed the child’s voice was getting slightly hoarse so he decided to warm a bottle of strawberry milk and gave it to the latter. Within minutes, Yong-ie was knocked out, probably exhausted after a long day. Baekhyun lifted Jiyong up and carried him to his bedroom. After tucking the toddler in, he finally had a chance to check on his phone. Jongdae texted him.

Whinny Jongster

_ Here’s the kid’s guardian’s contact number. _

_ Call him when you can. _

_ His name is Park Chanyeol. _

_ Thanks. Now we’re even. _

Below the messages was the guardian’s contact number, along with his KakaoTalk ID. Baekhyun assumed his plans with Minseok went well, seeing how Jongdae wasn’t whining nor did he sound bitter in the text.  _ Thank god,  _ he said to himself before the doorbell to his apartment rang. Baekhyun assumed it was Park Chanyeol but just to be sure, he looked through the monitor and he could feel his heartbeat rapidly increasing upon seeing the fine man on the other side of the screen.

Black rimmed glasses framed the man’s big, round eyes - the same eyes as Jiyong’s - matched with tousled black hair. The man was apparently tall, seeing as how he appeared to be slightly bending down, his shoulders hunched forward.

“Good evening, this is Park Chanyeol, Park Jiyong’s guardian. I have come to pick him up.” His resounding voice pulled Baekhyun out of his trance.

“Yes, please wait a moment.” Baekhyun shut the intercom off and began to compose himself. He can’t be like this right now. This was wrong on so many levels. After a hard slap to his cheeks, and a polite smile on his face, Baekhyun opened the door.

Oh, how he regretted doing so.

The man stepped in, towering over him in the entranceway, making Baekhyun flustered. The man was tall, even if Baekhyun tiptoed, he wouldn’t reach the man’s height. A courtesy smile plastered on the man’s face and Baekhyun couldn’t stop staring.

“Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol. I am sorry to have troubled you.” Chanyeol extended his hand, “I hope Jiyong didn’t cause any trouble for you.”

Baekhyun dreaded to accept the handshake because if he did, he knew he would fall for the man more. Seeing how Chanyeol awkwardly shifted in his stance, Baekhyun didn’t have the heart to leave the man hanging. He returned the handshake and just as he predicted, he fell for the man more. “Uh, um. N-no! Not at all! Jiyong had been good.” Baekhyun stuttered, “Byun Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun ushered the tall man to his bedroom. A cute little mountain lay on the bed, sound asleep as his whistling snores echoed in the room. Chanyeol skillfully swept Jiyong up in one smooth motion and rested the boy’s head on his shoulder. Seeing Jiyong sleeping so peacefully in Chanyeol’s arms warmed Baekhyun’s heart. He softly pinch the little boy’s squished cheek, adoring how soft it felt under his fingers.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you today. Jongdae filled me in on the little details before I came here. I can’t thank you enough. Please let me return the favor to you.” Chanyeol’s gaze fell on Baekhyun who had his eyes locked on Jiyong. He studied the man’s face, observing the expressions the latter made. Be it smiling warmly or pouting cutely, Baekhyun definitely made him feel something, a feeling he couldn’t quite grasp yet. When Baekhyun lifted his gaze to Chanyeol, he noticed how Baekhyun’s breath hitched when their eyes met.  _ Cute _ , Chanyeol thought.

“I-It’s okay. Jongdae was the one who asked the favor. I owed him a lot.” Baekhyun replied, his eyes looked everywhere else but Chanyeol.

“I would have argued with you on that but it’s getting late. I don’t want to disturb you any longer than this.” Chanyeol smiled, showing off his cute, deep dimples. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Baekhyun escorted the two to the entranceway. “Y-Yeah, tomorrow.”

Chanyeol bowed his head slightly, gesturing his gratitude to Baekhyun. With that, the man and the child disappeared behind the door.

+

The next morning came and Baekhyun did his daily routine without a hitch. He woke up early feeling refreshed despite sleeping late last night. Baekhyun hummed along to the line-up of songs from last night’s episode of Blooming Day. Baekhyun was about to set off to the cafe when a familiar silhouette came out from the unit next door.

Baekhyun greeted Chanyeol good morning, and the latter replied with a sweet smile. Baekhyun was dazzled by the smile. Baekhyun patted Jiyong’s head and gave his cheek a pinch. Jiyong flashed Baekhyun his sweetest smile. Baekhyun was dazzled again.  _ Like father, like son. _

“On your way to work?” Chanyeol asked.

“Yeah, this month I’m on the morning shift. You too?” Baekhyun scanned Chanyeol noting the hoodie and sweatpants the tall man was wearing, “you don’t work in an office, do you?”

“Maybe,” Chanyeol teased as he held in his laughter. “What about you? You look like a university student…”

Baekhyun goofily chuckled, “I’m actually in my late twenties.”

“Really? Me too!.” Chanyeol continued, “Actually, I had been thinking about how to repay you for last night but I couldn’t think of anything. This morning Jiyong,” Chanyeol kneeled down and picked Jiyong up in his arms, “suggested we pack you a lunchbox.”

Just then, Baekhyun noticed the two lunch bags in Jiyong’s hands. One was a plain lunch bag while the other was a Kamen Rider themed lunch bag. Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol for a while, not knowing what to say or do. He wasn’t hoping for anything in return for his help nor did he have the heart to reject the hand-made lunchbox.

As if he could read the man’s mind, Chanyeol continued, “Just take it. Consider this as a gift from Jiyong. It was his idea after all.”

Baekhyun's gaze shifted to Jiyong, a warm smile stretched on his face as he saw the boy’s eyes sparkling with delight. “Is it okay if I take it, Yong-ie?”

“Of course!” The boy replied as he stretched out his arms, wanting to be carried by Baekhyun. “Yong-ie made it especially for Baekhyun-ie hyung.” The boy giggled when Baekhyun booped his nose. When Baekhyun reached out for the plain lunch bag Jiyong exclaimed, “Not this one. This one!” Jiyong shoved the Kamen Rider themed lunch bag into Baekhyun's hands. It seemed Chanyeol too was puzzled by the boy’s action, seeing how he unconsciously raised his eyebrows.

“Don’t you like Kamen Rider, Jiyong-ah?” Chanyeol questioned.

“Yong-ie likes Kamen Rider but Baekhyun-ie hyung likes Kamen Rider too. Yong-ie giving it to Baekhyun-ie hyung for today.”

The little boy’s words warmed both the men’s hearts.  _ Jiyong is definitely an angel! _

“Thank you Yong-ie!” Baekhyun beamed at Jiyong the brightest smile ever. Just like the night before, Chanyeol could feel something for Baekhyun but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly he felt. He didn’t push on, instead, allowing the mystery to linger in his mind.

The three made their way to the bus stop near their apartment complex, chatting with each other along the way. The 30-minute bus ride felt shorter than before as the father-son duo got off at their stop. Baekhyun waved them goodbye, his heart heavy having to part with Jiyong like this.

Baekhyun was excited to see his lunch since Chanyeol mentioned earlier, Jiyong was the one who decorated them. He unzipped the Kamen Rider lunch bag and delicately lifted the lid, lo and behold! The lunch was cutely decorated with fried kimchi and crispy seaweed. The two fried eggs were placed in the middle - acting as the eyes - and the crispy seaweed was messily placed - to make up the hair - and the fried kimchi was lined up to form a smile. The sesame seeds were sprinkled on each side, acting as freckles for the make-shift face.

The square metal box was filled to the brim with food. Baekhyun giddily snapped pictures of the lunch box, intending to send them to Chanyeol later. He applauded Jongdae for giving him the man’s contact information.

+

After Chanyeol dropped Jiyong off to the nursery, he had to rush to his workplace as his producer suddenly needed him for an impromptu meeting. Chanyeol had wanted to stay longer to talk with Jongdae, thanking and apologizing to him for yesterday. He felt guilty for making Jongdae wait with Jiyong for so long last night and wanted to make up to him but when the sudden call came, he had no choice but to go.

Jongdae being Jongdae, just nodded and urged Chanyeol to leave. “It’s okay. Just go. You can treat me to something delicious later,” was what Jongdae told him. Chanyeol couldn’t thank Jongdae enough for all the help the man gave as a nursery teacher and also as Jiyong’s pick-up helper.

The meeting ended just after lunch hour started. The PD, Kyungsoo, had called for an emergency meeting to modify the script they’ve prepared for tomorrow. They had a problem with one of the segments - the guest they had invited couldn’t come at the last minute so they had to change some parts of the script. Chanyeol, as the Chief Writer slash Radio Jockey had to search for new guests or prepare another segment with the help of his sub-writer while the AD needed to arrange a new set of songs to match the new script later as well. Luckily they had an extra pair of hands that could help - the youngest intern.

Chanyeol picked up his phone, unlocking it for the first time since Kyungsoo’s call this morning. He tapped on his Kakaotalk app, scrolling through the messages in his group chats. He stopped scrolling and stared at one of the displayed IDs - bbh was written on the screen. He had never known a bbh before. He tapped the chat message and a soft smile bloomed. It was a message from his neighbour, Baekhyun. Chanyeol quickly saved the man’s Kakaotalk ID and also his phone number that Jongdae gave to him last night.

Baekhyun

_ <photo attached> _

_ Thank you for the meal! _

_ It was really cute and delicious! _

Chanyeol contemplated on what to reply for a whole minute, hands sweaty and heart beat increasing. He was nervous but he wasn’t sure why. He tapped on the screen a few times before deleting whatever he wrote and continued to write a new message but deleted it soon after. This went on for a few minutes before Chanyeol was able to hit the send button, heart pounding erratically.

Me

_ Glad you liked it. _

_ I was scared _

_ I thought you wouldn’t like them. _

Baekhyun

_ Why wouldn’t I? _

_ Jiyong made it for me, _

_ Of course I’d like it :D _

_ Oh yeah, of course he’d like it. Jiyong was the one who gave it to him.  _ Chanyeol slapped himself mentally, he could feel his face becoming hotter and no doubt his cheeks were flushed red. The reason why he was embarrassed was also a mystery to him.

“Are you okay?” A voice startled Chanyeol from his predicament, eyeing him with a curious gaze. Kyungsoo has never seen Chanyeol this red before. “Are you sick?”

“N-no, Kyungsoo.” Chanyeol stuttered, “I’m fine. Just feels a little hot. Don’t mind me.” Even Chanyeol knew his excuse was lame. The temperature was single digit degrees outside and one of the heaters wasn’t functioning properly, making the office chillier than usual.

Kyungsoo was not one to pry and if Chanyeol wanted to tell him, he would. Kyungsoo knows this. Chanyeol is his cousin after all. “Yeah, sure,” Kyungsoo nonchalantly replied.

“How’s the newcomer?” Chanyeol teased instead, his playfulness around Kyungsoo kicked in and Baekhyun’s message was long forgotten. Chanyeol knew how sensitive Kyungsoo gets when the newcomer slash Chanyeol’s little brother’s best friend was mentioned in front of the latter. Jongin had been chasing after the man since he was in highschool, never tired of Kyungsoo’s constant rejections but that was another story to tell. Chanyeol’s eyes glinted playfully, jerking his eyebrows a few times to taunt Kyungsoo more.

Kyungsoo stared at Chanyeol with bored eyes, sighing at the childish mind games. If it hadn't been for the frequent meetings and a handful of over-times he forced Chanyeol to do, he would have probably smacked the latter’s head. “How’s Jiyong? Is he growing up okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s kinda tall for kids his age. I’m sure he’ll be taller than you some day. Ah wait. Everyone is taller than you!” Chanyeol laughed, emphasizing the word ‘everyone’ to push Kyungsoo’s buttons. The joke earned him a powerful smack on the head, no more holding back because of Kyungsoo’s guilty conscience. Chanyeol playfully cowered, eyeing Kyungsoo with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“You know you have to re-do your script by today, right?” Kyungsoo raised his hand as if to hit Chanyeol again before walking away.

“Say hi to Jongin for me!.” The man continued, never tired of his own antics. After making sure Kyungsoo was gone, Chanyeol let out a desolate sigh.  _ I guess I got to ask for Jongdae’s help again to wait with Jiyong at home until I come home, _ he thought to himself. Just then, Chanyeol’s phone buzzed, indicating a new message that had come in. It was from Baekhyun.

Baekhyun

_ Is it okay if I pick up Jiyong today? _

Me

_ Yeah sure. _

_ I don’t mind. _

_ You can tell Jongdae that. _

_ He’s Jiyong’s pick-up helper as well _

Baekhyun

_ Okay got it! _

_ And um… _

_ I want to invite you over to my house _

_ To say thank you _

Chanyeol couldn’t hide his widening smile as he replied ‘sure’ to Baekhyun.

+

Tick tock. Baekhyun had never been this nervous before.

Baekhyun gave himself a refreshing slap on the cheeks as he paced around his living room. After tucking Jiyong in bed, his mind was filled with Chanyeol. His heartbeat increased with each passing minute, waiting for Chanyeol to come to his humble home. Just as he was chanting to himself to calm down, his doorbell rang and the man scampered to the intercom. As expected, it was Chanyeol.

“Please come in.” Baekhyun opened the door and greeted his guest, ushering Chanyeol to his living room. He went to the kitchen to brew tea for the man - and to compose his erratic heartbeat - but along the way, he made small talk with Chanyeol. “Is black tea okay?”

“Yeah, black tea is fine.”

Baekhyun took out a jar from his high-raised cabinet and brewed the tea. Even though he worked at a coffee shop, nothing is more relaxing than a cup of steaming tea. “I heard great stories about you from Jiyong.”

“Stories about me?” Chanyeol chuckled, “What did Jiyong tell you? Are you sure he didn’t tell embarrassing stories about me?” Chanyeol took a seat on the couch, placing his coat next to him.

“Ah, that would be a secret.” Baekhyun giggled teasingly, serving freshly brewed tea to Chanyeol. “I don’t want to snitch.” The man took a seat adjacent to Chanyeol, crossing his slender legs as he sat.

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile at Baekhyun’s reponse. “Both of you must be close since you have secrets now.” His eyes scanned Baekhyun and stopped to observe the latter’s face, “And seeing how he just went to the nursery with you the other morning.”

Baekhyun spat out his tea, sending him into a coughing fit. He reached out for the box of tissues on the coffee table and wiped it across his lips. Baekhyun bowed his head apologetically and said, “I’m sorry for doing that, taking him away without telling you. You must’ve been terrified.”

Chanyeol shook his head, “You don’t have to be sorry. I am okay about it. Didn’t Jongdae tell you?”

“He did tell me,” Baekhyun bit his lower lip,  _ but I still feel guilty _ . “I wanted to formally apologize to you.”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol chuckled as he collected the tissues and got up to throw them away in the trash bin. “I saw you,” he paused, “and Jiyong. Not directly but I watched you two through the intercom.”

“You were watching?”

“Yeah. That morning I was wide awake,” Chanyeol took a seat next to Baekhyun, “My body clock adjusted to Jiyong’s routine. You know, after years of taking care of him alone.” 

There was a brief pause between them. Even though Chanyeol spoke so care-free, Baekhyun noted the sad tone in his voice. With each passing minute, both of them can sense the air around them getting heavier so Chanyeol decided to break the silence by addressing the topic, “Jiyong doesn’t have a mother,” he paused, “nor a father. I’m not Jiyong’s real father. My family used to host foreign students, you see. There _was_ this Chinese exchange student who used to be living with my family. Yixing was his name but we called him Lay… He met my sister and the two got along well.” Chanyeol chuckled but Baekhyun could see the sadness in his eyes.

“I know.”

“You knew? How? Jongdae?”

“By chance but not as detailed. There wasn’t any Jiyong’s photo on ‘Meet My Family’ corner at the nursery so I asked Jongdae.” Baekhyun felt something tug at his heart the moment he saw Chanyeol’s conflicted smile. It must have been tough for the man. “Can I tag along every morning when you send him to the nursery?”

“That’s…” Chanyeol was honestly dumbfounded, he was at a loss for words. So many thoughts flooded his mind, he missed his moment to reply to Baekhyun.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Baekhyun concluded. “I am sending him off tomorrow, okay?”

“Wait… But…” Instead of beating around the bush, Chanyeol decided to voice out what really bothered him. “Why?”

“I want to do it for Jiyong.” Baekhyun casted his eyes away, focusing on the warm cup of tea cupped in his hands instead. Baekhyun had a hunch though he was not hundred percent sure of it yet. Baekhyun sighed, “I am willing to do this for Jiyong.”

Chanyeol was taken aback as he felt Baekhyun’s sincerity in the latter’s voice. He studied Baekhyun for a moment before nodding to himself. He met Baekhyun for the first time yesterday but he couldn’t help trust him deeply. Chanyeol made up his mind. “Then I have nothing else to say. Please take care of Jiyong.” Chanyeol said as he bowed his head to Baekhyun, making the latter flustered. “Ah, wait. Since we are sending him together, you have to take care of me too. We come in a package of two.” Chanyeol teased playfully and he noticed how Baekhyun’s cheeks tinted pink.  _ His reaction is cute. It’ll be fun teasing him, unlike that cousin of mine. _


	2. Chapter 2

The sweet, cedar scent swirled in harmony with the smell of roasted coffee beans, wafted around the cafe full of festive decorations. Mistletoe hanging right by the entrance, wrapped presents lined up underneath the giant Christmas tree and not to mention the workers’ cute Christmas costume to match the holiday mood. Both Minseok and Baekhyun donned matching uniforms after Mr Kim had convinced them it was good for the sales. They had no choice but to comply.

After handing out a customer’s order, Baekhyun looked out the large window and onto the streets, all full of red, green and twinkling lights. A couple of people passed by their humble little cafe, linking arms as they laughed and giggled at whatever joke their partner had said. Their gazes were always full of love and affection, their eyes glistening with happiness. Baekhyun continued to stare on in wonder as a young family passed by; the child had the widest smile stretched on her face with both her parents holding her hands. The man couldn’t help but smile.

Baekhyun was so lost in his own world, he missed the bell sound slowly approaching him, unaware of his mischievous colleague's intention to play him. “What are you thinking about?” The man breathed on Baekhyun’s ear, causing the latter to jump out of his skin.

“Kim Minseok!” Baekhyun exclaimed as he elbowed his best friend in the stomach. He turned around and was ready to throw hands at Minseok, “What was that for?!”

Minseok gave Baekhyun a hearty laugh as he jogged around the counter, escaping from the latter’s playful punches. “Just because… You look so out of it. What’s up? You feel a little lonely this Christmas? How is it? Want me to introduce you to someone I know? There’s this frequent customer I’ve been talking to...” Minseok jerked his eyebrows mischievously, the corner of his lips curled in a way that made him look like a kitten.

Baekhyun scoffed, “Thank you so much for the offer but no. I’m kinda busy right now.”

“One is never too busy for romance, Byun Baekhyun. Or is it because you already have found one?” Minseok didn’t believe his best friend one bit. He knows how much of a romanticist Baekhyun is so when the latter denied his offer to new chances, that could only mean one thing; the man had gotten himself a new interest.

After hearing Minseok’s last sentence, Chanyeol’s face immediately popped up in Baekhyun’s mind, causing the latter’s cheeks to be tainted in pink.

Minseok's eyes blew wide open after noticing the crimson tint on Baekhyun’s cheeks. Baekhyun should have known better, after being friends for years, it was easy for Minseok to spot the littlest reaction the former would conjure. That’s what being best friends is like. “You DO have someone you like!” Minseok was giddy, happy to know this fact.

“I do not!” Baekhyun didn’t know whether he was trying to deny what Minseok was saying or was he denying his feelings for Chanyeol.

Minseok ignored Baekhyun’s denials, arms propping his head on the counter, eyes sparkling with excitement - happy for his friend’s new found love. “Have you confessed? Does he like you back?”

The last question had taken Baekhyun aback. The man had been nothing but nice to him all this while but Baekhyun knew better than to take his kindness as a sign of attraction. Does Chanyeol like him? As a friend, maybe. Yeah but romantically? Baekhyun didn’t dare to put any hope on that. “I-I don’t know…” Baekhyun hung his head low, playing with the hem of his Christmas costume. Half of him wanted to be more than just friends with the tall man but something was holding him back.

Minseok saw the gloom on Baekhyun’s face and a pang of guilt stabbed him. Minseok patted Baekhyun’s shoulder, “It’s okay, man. I know for sure he likes you back.”

“How would you know that?” Baekhyun’s tone of voice was not of disbelief or doubt. His voice was genuine almost as if he was asking for reassurance.

“You are Byun Baekhyun. Anyone that doesn’t fall for you is either blind or just really stupid.” Minseok gave his friend an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder, letting Baekhyun know he meant what he said, earning him a small smile in return.

“Thanks man.” Baekhyun squeezed his hand in. Baekhyun believed him.

Whenever Baekhyun is in low spirits, trust Minseok to lift them up. Baekhyun began telling Minseok everything that had happened; how he met Jiyong and his so-called attempted kidnapping -  _ Baekhyun still feels bad about that _ \- his encounter with Jongdae at the nursery and how beautiful and angelic Jiyong is.

That night after their shift ended, Minseok had offered to take him home again and this time, Baekhyun didn’t decline. “We’re here, Baek.” Minseok lifted his shoulder slightly, gently waking Baekhyun up as the man dozed off along the way.

“Hmm…” The man hummed his reply, climbing off Minseok’s Vespa and handed back his borrowed helmet. Baekhyun rubbed his sleepy eyes and took his earphones off. Loey’s voice was really soothing and pleasant to hear. “A cup of tea before you go?” The barista offered Minseok.

“Actually, can you let me crash in your place?”

“Fought with Jongdae again?”

“We did not fight.”

“And I’m Beyonce. Come on. I’m dead tired.”

+

That morning, Chanyeol got up as usual to get ready for work, cooked breakfast and packed Jiyong’s bag. He had dressed the boy up prim and proper, all set for an awesome day at the nursery while Chanyeol wore his usual oversized hoodie and jogger pants. Chanyeol made sure the door to his unit was locked shut, hearing it beep before knocking on Baekhyun’s door.

Suddenly, a man walked out from Baekhyun’s unit. The man came out so abruptly, hitting Chanyeol straight on his head with the door. 

“I am so sorry! Are you okay?” The man apologized, bowing his head a few times to Chanyeol. The stranger strongly reminded Chanyeol of a cat, with big, sharp eyes and curled lips like that, anyone would relate him to a cat. The man turned around before slamming the door shut, “Baekhyun, I’ll wait for you at the elevator!”

Minutes later, another man had bursted out from the door. This time it was Baekhyun. “What, wait!” Baekhyun tried to catch up with Minseok, “Can’t you just wait for 5 freaking oh- good morning Chanyeol.”

“Morning Baekhyun.” Chanyeol returned the greeting. He wanted to ask Baekhyun about the man before but didn't know how to do so. ‘Who was that?’ ‘Your friend?’ ‘I saw someone walking out from your apartment just now. Is he your friend?’ Would the question bother Baekhyun?

Baekhyun crouched down, patting Jiyong’s well-styled hair. “Hey Jiyong.”

“Good morning Baekhyun-ie hyung. Who was that?”

Chanyeol's head snapped towards Jiyong so fast,  _ you can’t just ask him directly like that, Jiyong-ah. _ Oh, the privilege of an innocent child.

“Oh, him?” Baekhyun pointed to Minseok who was busy scrolling his phone, waiting for the elevator to come. “That’s hyung’s best friend. He stayed for a night in hyung’s house.”

Jiyong turned around and bowed at Minseok, to which Minseok returned the gesture. Jiyong let Baekhyun pat his head, feeling proud as Baekhyun showered him with compliments. “Baekhyun-ie hyung, you have something in your box.”

Baekhyun glanced at his letterbox, “Oh you’re right.” The barista took it and put it inside his bag before peppering Jiyong’s cheeks with kisses, tickling the little boy as he hugged the little bean tightly. Baekhyun looked up at Chanyeol, flashing him the most dazzling smile Chanyeol had ever seen. The elevator ride was so quiet, none of them spoke a word. “Be careful with the traffic, Minseok. See you at the cafe later.”

“You too.” Minseok replied as he sped off on his Vespa, leaving Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jiyong to take the bus. Chanyeol had so many questions for Baekhyun but he couldn’t seem to ask any of it.

Even after he had clocked in, his mind was still on the cat-like dude walking out of Baekhyun’s apartment.

Is he a friend? Normally friends wouldn’t stay  _ one _ night unless it was the weekend or they had been drinking the night before but Baekhyun didn’t seem hungover at all. Logically speaking, no sane worker would drink on weeknights. Was he really  _ just  _ a friend? Chanyeol didn’t dare to think about it. Chanyeol let out an exasperated grunt, tousling his hair.

Unbeknown to Chanyeol, his cousin was looking at him this whole time with bored eyes. He contemplated going over to Chanyeol however knowing that night would be their broadcast and he as the producer slash board operator needs to make sure the RJ is ready and well prepared. Although, he believes Chanyeol wouldn’t have any problem hosting as he knows how professional his cousin is. Kyungsoo waddled over anyways to Chanyeol’s desk, “Meeting in 5.” He said and continued, “Are you okay?”

Chanyeol hadn't noticed Kyungsoo coming over to him until the latter were hovering next to him.  _ Kyungsoo! _ Maybe by asking his cousin, he could understand Baekhyun and his friend’s situation better. “Kyungsoo,” he said, “would you let me stay at your place for just one night?”

Kyungsoo thought the man was sincerely asking and the last thing he wanted was for Chanyeol to crash at his place. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Right. That’s definitely the normal reaction. No best friend is kind enough to invite another best friend to stay the night. Unless… They are not best friends.”

“No, Chanyeol. Best friends do let best friends crash at their place. It’s just  _ me _ that doesn’t want you at my place. What are you on about anyways?”

Chanyeol was too caught up on his own thoughts, he missed the first three sentences Kyungsoo said. “Nothing. Just some things.” Chanyeol got up from his seat, scooping the files and script needed for the meeting as he continued to mumble to himself. He walked off, passing by a smiling Jongin who greeted him but was ignored before taking a seat on the big table suited in the centre of their office. “I don’t get it. It’s not like they are roommates.”

Jongin gasped, holding up his hand over his mouth in a mocking manner. “They are  _ not _ roommates?”

Kyungsoo eyed Jongin like he’s ready to slap the man. “The big table. Now.”

During the meeting, Chanyeol could barely keep up with Kyungsoo saying he needs to decide on the radio’s next guests, song requests from listeners that were already stated in their script, etc. It was annoying how Kyungsoo would do these briefs before a broadcast all the time. They’ve already gone through the script so many times, Chanyeol could host the show with his eyes closed.

Bored out of his mind, Chanyeol moved his attention towards Jongin. The intern was listening to Kyungsoo intently, watching him with admiration, diligently scribbling notes on his worn out notebook. Jongin’s eyes were shining. Chanyeol swore if he squinted hard enough, he could make out a tail behind Jongin. The intern should just confess to Kyungsoo again already. The man’s affection was so annoyingly obvious at this point, Kyungsoo would be a fool to reject him again.

Chanyeol let out an exasperated sigh. Confession… Cat Man and Baekhyun are friends, right? Or are they... Chanyeol wondered if Cat Man had confessed to Baekhyun… If Baekhyun had accepted him. He could have, seeing how he let Cat Man stay at his house last night. Baekhyun’s sweet, angelic smile popped in his mind but it wasn’t for him. It was for Cat Man.  _ Damn it! _ Chanyeol slammed his fist on the meeting table. Annoyed. Why was he so bothered by this? He had no idea. “Where’s my coffee!?”

Kyungsoo sighed, “Jongin, where’s his coffee?”

“I uh- I woke up kinda late today…” Jongin fidgeted in his seat.

“So?”

Kyungsoo sounded annoyed and Jongin didn’t like it when that happened. “So I uh- I know you guys like your coffee in the morning but I umm I didn’t have the time to… buy them...” Jongin hung his head low. He felt like he had let the producer down.. “I’m so sorry. I’ll order it right away!” Jongin quickly collected his stuff but was stopped by Kyungsoo.

“You don’t have to.” Kyungsoo said, his head turned towards his radio jockey, his eyes bore into Chanyeol’s. “Chanyeol will go.”

“What?”

“You weren’t listening to the briefing anyways and it was  _ you _ who demanded your coffee.” Kyungsoo emphasized more on ‘you’. “You go. Caramel Macchiato for me. With lots of whipped cream. Thanks.” Kyungsoo said, never once did he break his eye contact with Chanyeol.

Chanyeol had no intention to do so either. With gritted teeth, he asked “And you Jongin?”

“Umm, Choco Frappe, please.” Jongin squeaked.

“One Choco Frappe and one Caramel Macchiato coming right up.” Chanyeol stressed as he backed out of the office, refusing to lose the stare off. It was not until he slammed the door shut did he look elsewhere.

He huffed and stomped all the way to a cafe, grumbling something petty about Kyungsoo to himself. The bell hanging by the door jingled, alerting the baristas of their incoming customers. Fearing he would unfairly burst out at an employee, Chanyeol focused on the phone in his hand, not sparing even a glance for the barista over the counter. “Americano, Choco Frappe and Caramel Macchiato please. All grande. All cold. Extra whipped cream for the macchiato.”

“Is that you, Chanyeol?” The barista called his name.

Surprised, Chanyeol looked up and was met with the dazzling smile that had lingered in his mind for days. All his anger and annoyance? Gone. “B-Baekhyun?” Chanyeol couldn’t help but coo at how adorable Baekhyun was. The smile was a killer but the costume had killed him. The barista donned an all white attire - white short-sleeved button down shirt tucked in a white short pants and a cute little top hat fixed on the crown of his head. Chanyeol couldn’t help but stare.

Baekhyun could feel his cheeks getting hotter under Chanyeol’s intense stare. Chanyeol probably thinks the costume didn’t suit him. “I-It’s weird, isn’t it? This concept doesn’t s-suit me, does it? I-I had wanted to pick the elf costume but Minseok called dibs on that.”

“No no no no. No!” Chanyeol didn’t notice he was shouting. “It’s cute! You look adorable. Being an angel suits you! I mean, you look so much like an angel right now! Very angelic. There are no angels cuter than you. I thought wings were about to grow from your back! It’s cute, yes!” Chanyeol puffed like he had just run a marathon. The man wasn’t aware that his little speech had caused heads to turn and Baekhyun’s heart to flutter.

“I uh,” Baekhyun’s cheeks were tinted pink, eyes looking everywhere but at Chanyeol. “I’m actually a snowman... See my little top hat.” Baekhyun meekly tilted his head.

Now both of them were blushing.

“I-I have never seen you here before.” Baekhyun tried to change the topic.

“Jongin is the one who usually buys our coffees so that's probably why.”

“Jongin?”

“He’s an intern at my work.”

Just then, Chanyeol’s phone dinged. His lock screen lit up and a message from Kyungsoo popped up. ‘You have 3 minutes’ was all that was written. Chanyeol cursed under his breath,  _ great timing Kyungsoo. _ Chanyeol sighed, handing Baekhyun his debit card. “I’d love to stay and chat but duty calls.” Chanyeol swore he saw Baekhyun pouted for a minute there. 

+

Baekhyun had finished his work and was walking home after finally surviving a double shift. The barista was humming harmonious tunes all the way to his apartment, giddily skipping in his walks and a happy smile stretched on his puppy-like face. His accidental meeting with Chanyeol this morning had him smiling all day.

Baekhyun was tuning in on Blooming Day, listening to Loey’s soothing voice. Tonight’s line-up of songs are a mix of different genres as the RJ had accepted song requests from listeners. So far, the songs requested had been Baekhyun’s favorites as well. He sighed as he listened to Loey bidding the listeners good night.

“There are so many things we can be thankful for. Whether getting a gift from someone, receiving smiles from passersby, or even getting complimented by your special one. Did we say thank you today? The kind words you share, can make a big difference in someone’s life.” 

A name popped up in Baekhyun’s mind and he couldn’t help but remember what had happened earlier today.

_ “There are no angels cuter than you.” _

A blush threatened to crawl up his face but the thought of getting that same yellow envelope beat it back. Baekhyun let out a sigh. It was a drawing with the same three stick figure. He had a hunch that those drawings were from Jiyong but the barista wasn’t sure himself. He continued to stare at the drawing that was now in his hand. With his phone in his other hand, he tapped on Kakao Talk app and opened a chat room under Chanyeol’s ID.

Me

_ Is Jiyong home? _

Baekhyun locked his phone but a reply came soon after.

Jiyong’s Chanyeol

_ Yeah, he’s probably with Jongdae _

_ Why? _

Me

_ Nothing _

_ I kinda miss Jiyong _

_ Can I spend time with him? _

Jiyong’s Chanyeol

_ Sure, but he’s probably asleep by now _

_ Jongdae is at my house rn _

_ Tell Jongdae he can go _

_ I’m on my way home anyways _

Me

_ Okay _

_ Be careful on your way home _

Jiyong’s Chanyeol

_ I’ll call you as soon as I get home _

For a second there, Baekhyun's heart skipped a beat.  _ This feels so domestic _ , he thought. He could feel himself slowly falling for Chanyeol and he definitely wants to get to know the man more. What are his favorites and least-liked things to do, his habits and all. Baekhyun wants to take Chanyeol on dates and spend more time together and hold his hands and share cuddles with him and kiss-

_ Wait, what? _

Baekhyun’s cheeks were suddenly beet red and he thought his face was on fire. He felt incredibly awkward for having those thoughts for Chanyeol. The barista wished the floor would eat him up as he attempted to hide his embarrassment behind his slim fingers. “Damn it… How am I supposed to face him later?” He cursed himself. All of a sudden, the door to Chanyeol’s unit opened up, causing the man to jump.

“Are you coming in or not?”

“You almost gave me a heart attack, I swear to god!” Baekhyun screamed. “How’d you know I was here?”

“Chanyeol told me you were coming and I was bored so I waited for you,” Jongdae paused, chuckling, “through the intercom.”

“Is Jiyong asleep?” Baekhyun pushed Jongdae to the side, allowing himself into Chanyeol’s apartment.

“Yeah, he is. So what’s your relationship with Chanyeol?”

“Right off the bat?”   
  


“You know I’m not one to beat around the bush. Did your relationship progress after that day?”

“I uh… We are hmmm… We are there… You know, somewhere there.” Baekhyun paused, his eyes seemed to be glistening under the light. “Say, Jongdae. Can I ask you about Jiyong? You’re with him most of the day right? Have you ever seen him draw anything, like you know, stick figures or some sort.”

Jongdae looked at his best friend in disbelief. “How did you know? The kid always draws this same drawing everyday. Three stick figures and nothing else.” He could now guess why Baekhyun was acting this way. “Wait, is this relationship really about Chanyeol or is this because of the ‘Meet My Family’ corner at the nursery?”

“Uhh… Not entirely...?” Baekhyun replied meekly.

“You’re not answering me. Are you trying to do what I think you are trying to do?” Jongdae sighed. He knows his best friend all too well for the man to hide anything from him.

“Shut up, Jongdae.” Baekhyun almost raised his voice, a little hurt hearing the accusing tone from Jongdae.

“There’s a limit in what you can do, Baekhyun. If you’re not serious, you should stop.” Jongdae was firm and absolute in delivering his opinion. The man had seen one too many situations of people trying to help kids like Jiyong only to end up leaving them behind. He knew how painful it was to feel loved one day and to be ignored the next. He was once like that before.

“I said shut up Jongdae!”

“Baekhyun-ie hyung?” Jiyong walked out of his room, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Is that you Baekhyun-ie hyung?”

“Jiyong, we’re sorry… Did we wake you up?”

Jiyong trotted to Baekhyun, climbing onto his lap and settling in the man’s arms. “Was Baekhyun-ie hyung and Teacher Kim fighting? Please don’t fight…”

“W-We’re not, Jiyong. We just…”

“Teacher Kim and hyung were just playing a game, right Teacher Kim? And now he is about to go home.” Baekhyun looked at Jongdae, his determined eyes as if telling the latter they’ll continue this some other time.

“Y-Yeah, Jiyong. We were just playing a game. Teacher is going home now. Baekhyun will stay with you until your Dad gets home, is that okay?”

“Okay,” Jiyong climbed down from Baekhyun’s lap and toddled his way to Jongdae. Jongdae bent down to Jiyong, letting the little boy kiss him on the cheek. “Be careful on your way home, Teacher,” he said before making his way back to Baekhyun.

“I’m not gonna see you out.”

“You don’t need to.” Jongdae picked up his stuff and left.

“Finally, that tactless guy is gone.” Baekhyun sighed, hugging the now sleeping Jiyong tighter in his arms. The barista wasn’t mad at his friend for guessing on what he had wished to do but the accusing tone from the latter was just so hurtful and irritating.It felt as if Jongdae was condemning his intention and overlooking his effort to help Jiyong.

If he only knew the absence of Jiyong’s family photo in that damn corner, he would have not reacted the way he did. Getting those mystery drawings of stick figures for days which he suspected were from Jiyong, how could he just ignore it? 

“Jiyong,” he called softly, “did you… did you draw those pictures and give them to hyung?” The barista hummed as he played with the boy’s little strand of hair.

Barely opening his eyes, Jiyong groggily replied, “How did hyung know it was from Yong-ie?”

Baekhyun held back a sob, “Of course hyung would know. Only Yong-ie could draw those pretty pictures. Thank you, Yong-ie. Hyung loves it.” The barista slowly patted Jiyong’s bum rhythmically. “Jiyong, why did you give it to me? At that time we hadn’t met yet…”

No reply. Baekhyun looked over Jiyong's sleeping face and wondered what had happened to this angel’s family. Even so, the boy grew up so nicely because of Chanyeol. The man had done a wonderful job. Baekhyun made a mental note to compliment him later. 

He wasn’t sure when he had fallen asleep but Baekhyun remembered he dreamt of Chanyeol that night. In his dream, Baekhyun had complimented him, praised him and thanked him for taking care of Jiyong so well. “You’ve done so well, Chanyeol. I am so proud of you,” he said as he patted the man’s head. “It hasn’t been that long since we know each other but I know you have done your best.” Baekhyun wrapped his arms around Chanyeol and kissed the man on his cheek, “A gift for you,” he beamed.

+

Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered open and he blinked as the morning light streamed through the window - the curtain added a white glow to it - blinded him. He rolled onto his left side and was greeted with a breath-taking view of the beautiful man sleeping beside him.  _ Ah, this must be another dream _ , he thought to himself as his digits danced around the angel’s face, brushing back his messy bangs, tracing his eyes to the mole on his nose bridge, following down to his philtrum. Baekhyun stopped himself before his touches took him further. Chanyeol’s face scrunched up, ticklish from Baekhyun’s butterfly touches before scooting closer to the man.  _ This feels nice _ , Baekhyun thought to himself as he drifted back to sleep.

Baekhyun opened his eyes again and Chanyeol was gone. The barista froze as his eyes scanned the unfamiliar room.  _ This is not my room _ . He got up and made his way to the kitchen and saw Chanyeol there with Jiyong, preparing breakfast. The sight of Chanyeol in the kitchen, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a bed head made Baekhyun fall for Chanyeol more than he did before.

“Morning, Baekhyun. I’ve made breakfast.” Chanyeol greeted as he laid the dishes down on the counter.

“Oh,” he turned around, “good morning Chanyeol. Morning Jiyong.”  _ Wait, that wasn’t a dream? _ “I’m sorry, Chanyeol. I must have fallen asleep last night.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. Eat before you go.”

“O-Okay…” Baekhyun still had a few more questions in mind. He sat down and took a whiff of the breakfast Chanyeol made, “Smells delicious!” He looked at Jiyong and pulled the little boy to sit on his lap. “Yong-ie let’s eat!”

Chanyeol couldn’t help but smile at the both of them. Baekhyun probably wouldn’t remember the stuff he said to him last night but Chanyeol will remember them forever. “Baekhyun, do you want to drop Jiyong off together?”

Baekhyun’s heart beat increased after hearing the suggestion from the man. “S-Sure,” he breathed out, his voice slightly trembling from being nervous.

After breakfast and a quick change, Baekhyun and Chanyeol made their way to Jiyong’s nursery. The little boy was overjoyed to have both men sending him off to school. His little giggles and smiles filled their entire trip. Baekhyun and Chanyeol couldn’t help but coo at him, playing along by pulling the boy up together by his hands.

“Jiyong-ie.” Jongdae called out.

“Teacher!” Jiyong replied as he skipped to the nursery teacher. “Good morning!”

Jongdae smiled, “You seem to be in a good mood today.”

“Of course! Daddy and Hyung are with me today.” Jiyong turned around and gave both Chanyeol and Baekhyun a kiss.

“Be good, okay Yong-ie. Listen to the teachers well and be kind to your classmates.”

“Okay, Hyung!” Jiyong turned to Chanyeol, a pout formed on his lips. “Daddy, take care of Hyung okay. Make sure to protect him, okay! If not, Yong-ie will be really mad.”

“Don’t worry, Jiyong. Baekhyun is in safe hands. Daddy will protect him with everything that I have.” The tall man patted Jiyong’s head as a smile bloomed on his face. Jiyong is definitely a sweetheart. “Jiyong is so kind. Such a sweetheart,” Chanyeol cooed, “give Daddy one more kiss.”

Giggling, Jiyong gave Chanyeol another peck on the cheek and soon after he ran inside his classroom.

Baekhyun looked over the both of them with hearts in his eyes. When Jiyong ran away, his eyes trailed along lovingly, before he met with Jongdae’s. The barista was ready to fight off Jongdae if he ever said anything remotely hurtful like last night but the latter’s gaze softened and a sad smile decorated his face.

“Just don’t get hurt. The three of you,” he said and nothing else.

“We won’t.”

“What are you guys on about?”

Both Jongdae and Baekhyun shrugged, “Nothing,” and went off in opposite ways.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol walked for the rest of the way, taking their sweet little time together, making small talks for a little while before they went silent and just let the comfortable silence sink in. They matched their pace well, walking shoulder to shoulder with their hands brushing against one another. If this was a drama, there would be cute music playing in the background and the viewers most definitely grinning from ear to ear.

“Baekhyun.” Chanyeol called out, his breath hitched after his eyes met with a pair of angelic ones. “Are you free on the night of Christmas eve?” Chanyeol asked after a while of them just staring at each other.

Baekhyun blinked,  _ I am not dreaming right? He is asking me out right now, right? _ “I uh, I think so…. Yeah I am free.”

“Would you like to go out with me for dinner?” Chanyeol was definitely nervous but he needed to make it clear to Baekhyun this invitation was not platonic at all. “And after dinner, we could catch those street performances near Yeouido Han River Park.”

Baekhyun thanked the heavens for his quick wittiness in picking up hints. The barista maintained his gaze and said, “I would love that.”

“Baekhyun?”

Baekhyun recognized the voice. “Oh, Minseok,” he said as he briefly turned around. “Have a good day at work, Chanyeol.”

“You too, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol couldn’t contain his happiness. He almost skipped in his step as he made his way to his office. Just then, the man’s phone buzzed and it was a message from Jongin.

Jonginnie

_ It’s just you and me in the office today _

_ Want me to fetch your coffee later? _

Me

_ No need _

_ Hey jongin _

_ I need your help _

_ Can you babysit Jiyong _

_ On xmas eve _

Jonginnie

_ What do I get? _

Me

_ A limited edition _

_ Kyungsoo selfie _

Jonginnie

_ If it’s another forehead picture _

_ I don’t want it _

Me

_ It’s not _

_ This is a genuine selfie _

_ Wait for it… _

_ In his school uniform _

Jonginnie

_ Deal. _

_ Thank god for Kyungsoo’s selfie. _

Jonginnie

_ A date? _

Me

_ … _

_ Maybe… _

Jonginnie

_ Throw in kyungsoo’s childhood photo _

_ And I’ll make a model out of you _

Me

_ Deal. _

+

After a busy night, both Baekhyun and Minseok finished cleaning up their stations and the whole cafe as there were very few customers left. Baekhyun's enthusiasm in cleaning up the place left Minseok with so many questions because the former was never keen on doing this tedious job. The man was even humming along to the tunes played on Blooming Day and giving reactions to everything Loey said as if they were having a conversation. Minseok was dying to ask his friend why he was in such a good mood but witnessing Baekhyun happy and giddy, dancing around with a mop in his hand halted Minseok from asking.  _ I’ll ask later _ , he thought, an amused smile stretched on his face as the man joined Baekhyun in his sing along.

Both of them prepared to leave for their respective homes and as usual, Minseok would offer Baekhyun a ride home.

“I have some other plans.” Baekhyun smiled as the words left his mouth, remembering the other morning when Chanyeol had invited him for dinner. The man was over the moon. 

“Other plans? You usually don’t have plans for Christmas eve? Wait a minute…” Minseok squinted his eyes playfully as he leaned nearer to Baekhyun. “Looks like you’ve seriously started seeing someone, huh? Who is it? Can’t you introduce me to him?” Minseok began to tease..

“I will if you’d stop teasing me.” He could feel his cheeks became hotter by the second. Baekhyun didn’t see the need to hide the truth so without a second thought, he blurted, “I uh- Remember the time you teased me about having a crush? That crush asked me out for dinner… His name is Chanyeol.”

“Chanyeol? Why do I feel like I’ve heard of him somewhere…?” Minseok eyebrows furrowed, puzzled, “He was the guy who dropped you off the other morning, right?”

“Uh yeah, he was. He is also my neighbour. I think you’ve met him once before too...” Baekhyun peeked at his phone, pushing the power button once to light the screen up. The time showed a little past 10. He tapped on the Kakaotalk app and his last conversation with Chanyeol popped up. They exchanged several messages after that day. The man had promised to pick Baekhyun up around 10. Chanyeol should be here anytime now.  _ I wonder if Jiyong is coming too... _

“Is that him?” Minseok, who was sitting on his Vespa, pointed to a figure behind Baekhyun. Minseok was one to recognize someone even if they only met once and the man was proud of his skill but tonight, he doubted himself. “He looks different from before though.”

A tall man in a long, brown trench coat had just stepped off of the bus and was fast approaching them. As Baekhyun’s eyes met Chanyeol’s, he could feel his heart skip a beat. He is definitely Chanyeol but he looked different. The man had his hair slicked back, revealing the undercut beneath his long bangs and the big, hideous glasses were gone. Chanyeol didn’t wear his usual hoodie and sweatpants, instead the man donned a black turtleneck matched with a pair of black slim fitted jeans - emphasizing his long, slender body. If someone were to see him now, their jaws would have dropped on the ground. That someone was Baekhyun.

“Sorry I’m late.” The man halted in his tracks, towering over both of them. He was unaware of the silent awe they have for him as he only had one worry in mind. “Did I make you wait, Baekhyun?”

“I uh- uh… I… I uh…” Baekhyun stuttered, still speechless on how Chanyeol looked tonight. His best friend had to pinch his back to get Baekhyun out of the light trance. “You’re here.”

Minseok nudged Baekhyun and whispered in his friend’s ear, “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Ah, yeah. Chanyeol, this is Minseok. Minseok, this is Chanyeol.”

Minseok immediately took Chanyeol’s hands in his, eyes gleaming under the night light. The man truly reminds Chanyeol of a cat. “I can see why Baekhyun likes you!” Minseok blurted out, “but don’t let your guard down. These days, he has been crushing on this one radio dj.”

Chanyeol was intrigued, “Radio dj? Which dj?”

“Minseok!” Baekhyun tried to warn his friend to shut it but there’s no stopping Minseok when he is excited.

“That Loey guy. Was it called Blooming Day? Every night he listens to the man talk and sometimes he would talk back to him, looking like a highschool boy in love.”

“Minseok!”

“Okay, okay. I won’t say more,” Minseok put up both his hands before leaning back to Chanyeol to whisper, “but I think he likes you more.” Minseok gave his friend a thumbs up and a wink and scurried away on his Vespa.

A sweet smile bloomed on Chanyeol’s face as a blush threatened to tint his cheeks pink. 

“Please ignore him,” the barista laughed nervously. “He’s a tease, always such a tease. W-We should go now. Let’s go.”

Soon after, Minseok was forgotten and their focus scattered, giddy and excited they couldn’t even hold a conversation together. Their hearts hammering in their chests, palms sweaty, voice cracking. Chanyeol looked like he had it all together, all composed and calm. Unlike Baekhyun, who would fill every pause with chatter and laugh at everything even when it wasn’t that funny. Dinner was even worse. Baekhyun would fidget in his seat, chugging down his drink and brushing his already tousled hair back.

Baekhyun refused to let their first date end in a disaster. He mentally slapped himself to get his head straight. The last course of this date would be his last chance to make up for being a fool to himself.

“The night air is so refreshing, right Chanyeol?”  _ What was that Byun Baekhyun?? Do you want to make this date more awkward than it is?  _ Baekhyun lowered his face into his hand, cursing himself for that embarrassing remark.

“I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable with this invitation.” Chanyeol’s gaze downcast as he spoke.

Baekhyun felt sorry for the man, “I wasn’t uncomfortable at all! It’s just that,” he paused, playing with the hem of his shirt. “I am really nervous right now. My heart is beating like crazy and my hands are shaking and I can’t think properly.”

“Am I making you nervous?” The tall man asked innocently.

“Who else is there?” If it weren’t because Baekhyun found the man adorable, he would have smack him.

Chanyeol chuckled, “So was Minseok telling the truth earlier?”

“So Chanyeol, what do you do for a living?” Baekhyun tried to change the topic. He was self-conscious enough for Chanyeol to start teasing him. He ought to give Minseok an earful after this was over.

“I’m actually a writer for a broadcasting station.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Yeah, and I’m also a radio dj.” Chanyeol smirked, “I go by a different name as radio dj. Guess what it is.”

“So like a stage name, right? Wait, let me think.” The barista’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried hard to come up with clever names.  _ Is it Chan Park? Yeol Park? Yeol Chan? Wait… _ “Are you Loey?! Are you saying you are Loey an-and that Loey is you?!”

Chanyeol just nodded, a playful smile plastered on his face. The both of them busting a belly laugh, feeling the situation they were in as funny. The world works in such a mysterious way as it brought wonders to their lives. They couldn’t help but fall for each other and each time was harder than before.

“Baekhyun,” the radio jockey hesitated but he continued on confidently, “You probably don’t remember this but your sweet words have given me strength... I am interested in you. I like you. A lot.”

Chanyeol had made his intentions clear.  _ He wants to be with me… _ And the feelings were mutual. Baekhyun too craved to stay by the man’s side for as long as he could. No more hesitating, no more holding back. The barista took Chanyeol’s hands in his, their gaze met under the moonlight. Chanyeol likes him and Baekhyun likes the man too. “I would love that.”


	3. Chapter 3

The white blanket of winter melted away under the warm sunlight of spring. The dull grey scenery was now beautiful shades of color, showing everyone Mother Nature’s other side of beauty. The flowers were in full bloom, birds were chirping and a new chapter began. One particular radio jockey was busy in his booth, working hard on hosting his show.

“Next we have a postcard from one of our listeners, Kyoong-nim,” Chanyeol knew who the sender was. It was Baekhyun. A knowing smile stretched on his face. “Kyoong-nim wrote ‘Loey-nim, your voice is so soothing and always gives me comfort and strength.’ Thank you Kyoong-nim. I’m glad I was able to console you. ‘I have someone I really like and I miss him so much. He is working right now so I can’t really contact him. Loey-nim, can you please tell him that I really really miss him?’ Kyoong-nim, you’re a romanticist, aren’t you?” Chanyeol couldn’t contain his smile and chuckled, “I’m sure the person that you like is grinning from ear to ear right now.”

Chanyeol was still a professional. He continued hosting Blooming Day though half of him couldn’t wait to come home to his lovely Baekhyun. As the song started to play, his phone vibrated indicating an incoming message.

Baby brother♡

_ I’m crashing at your place. _

Me

_ You can’t _

Baby brother♡

_ Too late _

_ <photo attached> _

_ I’m already here _

_ With me darling baby angel Jiyong _

_ The pick-up helper went home already _

_ Can you pick up a takeout of Madfry Chicken? _

Me

_ Pick them up yourself _

Baby brother♡

_ Thanks _ ♡♡

_ You’re the best big bro _

The radio jockey sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel an impending headache about to hit him.

Me

_ Do you need anything else? _

Baby brother♡

_ Nope _

_ I’m good _

‘You okay?’ A text appeared on his monitor, a message sent by the PD. Chanyeol lifted his head up and gave an okay sign to Kyungsoo as he wrapped up Blooming Day.

With a desolate sigh, Chanyeol walked out of the booth and was greeted by (now newly joined as staff member), Jongin. “What happened? One minute you were all smiley then gloomy the next. Something bothering you?”

Chanyeol shook his head, “Not really. It was from Sehun.”

Jongin couldn’t help but scrunched his nose after hearing his best friend’s name. Their last semester together wasn’t exactly memorable. “What does  _ he _ want? I could guess it already.” Jongin complained on and on about Sehun before brushing his topic aside. “So,” he started to tease, “tell me about your date…”

“His date?” Kyungsoo chimed in. “Who was it?”

“Yeah. On the day my internship ended, he got a date. He made me babysit Jiyong the whole evening.”

“He’s actually my neighbour. Hey, I paid you already, didn’t I? ” Chanyeol retorted. “He’s… He’s fun to be with and I can see the guy loves Jiyong. Jiyong loves him too.”

“That’s great.” Jongin chirped.

“Yeah. Hey, I need to go now. Sehun told me to pick up a takeout. Bye Jongin, Kyungsoo.”

After picking up a box of fried chicken, Chanyeol decided to walk back home instead of taking the bus. Half of him wanted to run home as soon as possible to meet Baekhyun but there were so many things weighing on his mind; of course he was happy he and Baekhyun were off to a smooth start and the fact that Jiyong liked the man was a bonus _. _

The radio jockey punched in the code to his apartment and was met with a sight he couldn’t even imagine. Bottles of soju and cans of beer lie all over his apartment’s floor. The man checked up on Jiyong and heaved a sigh of relief to see the little angel sleeping peacefully in his room. Chanyeol turned around and noticed two figures slumped over his coffee table, drunk.

“Oh, my hyung is home! Welcome home.”

“Yeah, I’m home. Got your chicken. Sehun, what happened?” He scanned the area and his eyes fell on the other figure present in his apartment. Chanyeol’s eyes blew wide open with shock. “Baekhyun?! What are you doing here?”

The barista peeked through his bangs and then leaned back on the couch with his arms wide open. “Oh, it’s Chanyeol-ie.” Baekhyun slurred, “Welcome home.”

Chanyeol was taken aback by the cute pet name Baekhyun called him.  _ He just… Called me… Chanyeol-ie _ , the radio jockey was blushing hard. This was the first time Baekhyun had called him so endearingly. Before it would always be Chanyeol or Jiyong’s dad. He didn’t know he could feel this happy from just how Baekhyun addressed him.

Chanyeol’s face must have been red for Sehun to make a snappy remark, “Gross, are you blushing right now, hyung?” He winced in pain when his big brother smacked him square on the head. “What was that for?!”

“Shut up, Sehun. How much did you guys drink?”

“Oh you know, a few bottles. This guy,” he pointed towards Baekhyun, “he didn’t even finish one bottle.” Sehun slurred as he clinged on to his new friend, “Jiyongie seemed very happy to see him. Who is he? Friend? Boyfriend? I didn’t know you were seeing someone right now.”

“Shut up, Sehun.” Chanyeol pushed his little brother away and picked drunken Baekhyun up. The man’s head lolled back as he slumped his body against Chanyeol’s, unable to stand. “I’m going to send him home. And you,” the man sighed, “just don’t wake Jiyong up.”

The radio jockey piggybacked the barista back to his apartment and carried him all the way to his room. He let Baekhyun down gently, supporting the latter’s head with his hand as he slowly laid his head down. Chanyeol couldn’t help himself as he watched Baekhyun’s adorable sleeping face, running his fingers through his hair. Chanyeol took note of the moles on the barista’s face; one under his eyes, one on the bridge of his nose and one at the tip of his upper lips. His eyes traveled down and noticed the barista was still in his coat. Chanyeol contemplated whether to take Baekhyun’s coat off or not and decided to do so as he didn’t want Baekhyun to sleep uncomfortably. Just as he was sliding the coat down his arms, Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered open.

“Chanyeol-ie? What are you doing?”

Their eyes met and Chanyeol felt like he had been caught doing something wrong causing his hands to freeze in front of him, midway stripping Baekhyun off of his coat. “Huh? I… I uhh…”

“Chanyeol…” Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol’s with pure, unadulterated love in his eyes. His gaze was filled with so much love and adoration for the radio jockey. His eyes scanned Chanyeol, fingers reaching to touch the latter’s face. His eyes stopped at his lover’s lips as he bit his bottom lip, tilting his head sideways. Baekhyun looked so innocent right now, but his red, plump lips betrayed him. “Are you going to kiss me now, Chanyeol-ie?”

There it was again, the endearing pet name. Baekhyun’s butterfly touches sent shivers down his body, his hand reaching up to brush the former’s hair aside. Baekhyun was drunk and Chanyeol knew what to do. “Of course not.” He flicked Baekhyun’s forehead, climbing off the bed and quickly walked to the other side of the room.

Baekhyun winced in pain, sending glares to his beloved, “What was that for?”

“For you to sober up.” Chanyeol chuckled and looked away, scanning around the room before spotting something odd lying on the dresser. “What are these drawings?” He picked up the stick figure drawings, shuffling through them one by one.

“Drawings? Oh, that.” Baekhyun rolled on his side, “Actually, I got those drawings anonymously last year but I had a hunch whom it was from. Jiyong-ie. When I asked him, he said he was the one who sent them to me but one day this year, he stopped. I don’t know why though. Jiyong didn’t tell me anything but maybe, this is what I think.. The drawing is slowly coming true for him.”

The barista pulled Chanyeol into his embrace and acted as the big spoon, comfortably playing with his sweetheart’s curls. “Stay with me tonight.” Baekhyun whispered before drifting off to Dreamland.

+

Chanyeol knew he would get bombarded with questions by his little brother.

Sehun was walking behind him, faltering a few steps because he had been fussing about the same thing since this morning. “Are you really not going to tell me? You didn’t come home last night. Who was the guy? Someone you’re seeing? Your boyfriend?” Sehun whined, “Tell me already.”

“Shut up Sehun.” Chanyeol warned before turning around with his arms wide open. “Jiyong, daddy is here!” Chanyeol beamed cheerfully as they arrived at the nursery. This was the first time in a while since he himself had come to pick up the little boy. He had expected Jiyong to be ecstatic but the little boy didn’t even spare him a glance, looking down and silently putting on his shoes with a pout.

“What’s with him?” Sehun asked as Jiyong grabbed his and Chanyeol’s hands.

Jongdae sighed. The nursery teacher handed a flyer for an event the nursery had organized - Parent Participation Program - to Chanyeol. The two looked at the colourfully designed flyer in Chanyeol’s hand before Jongdae continued, “Apparently the kids were talking about their parents…”

“Why? He got his parent right here,” Sehun pointed to Chanyeol.

The nursery teacher sighed and made a mental note to himself that Chanyeol’s little brother isn’t as bright as he seemed, “They were talking about  _ both _ of their parents…”

The reason took Chanyeol and Sehun off guard. Taking care of Jiyong all those years, the elephant in the room was the fact that the boy never knew who his real parents were. The men looked at Jiyong sadly, cursing the world for taking away his parents at such a young age.

“Umm,” Sehun rubbed his nape with his free hand, not wanting to continue this topic so he continued, “So, uh Teacher Kim. You’re done with your work, right? Want to grab a cup of coffee with us? Remember, you rejected me last night when I invited you for a glass of soju and you promised to go the next time I asked you.”

“But coffee and soju aren’t the same,” Jongdae sighed, “Fine. I’ll come. Wait a minute.”

Jongdae went back inside and came out with his backpack slung on his shoulder and they went off to the nearest bus stop. Sehun had been wanting to visit this one cafe where they sell the tastiest bubble tea in town and confirm whether it is true or not. When they got off the bus and walked on a familiar route, Chanyeol and Jongdae knew which cafe Sehun was talking about. As they reached for the door, a man they know too well walked up to them.

“Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to help Kyungsoo at the office?” Chanyeol was the first one to speak to him, eyeing the latter up and down as if he had done something wrong.

“We’re taking a little break and hey to you too, man,” Jongin greeted both Chanyeol and Sehun and patted Jiyong’s head. His gaze fell on an unfamiliar man standing next to them. “Who?” He whispered to Sehun.

“Oh, he’s Jiyong’s nursery teacher, Kim Jongdae. Kim Jongdae, this is my friend, Kim Jongin.” The two of them shook hands.

“What do you guys want? I’ll help order them.” Jongdae picked up their orders and the rest of them went to secure a table.

“I’ll come with you.” Sehun offered.

The both of them walked up to the counter and as soon as Jongdae made eye contact with the barista at the counter, a smile lit up on his face. Jongdae greeted Minseok and had a little chat before giving him their order.

As soon as the barista left, Sehun nudged Jongdae by his arm and jerked his head towards Minseok’s direction. “Your friend?” Sehun’s eyes followed the barista, intrigued by his cat-like features.

“Yeah, actually two of my friends work here. The other guy is probably here somewhere.” Jongdae replied, his attention elsewhere. When Minseok was busy preparing their drinks, another barista came to attend to the register. “What happened to you, Baekhyun? You look awful.”

“I had too much to drink last night.”

Sehun recognized that voice, “Oh, it’s you.”

“Oh, the drunk guy from last night!”

Jongdae was surprised, “You know each other?”

“Kinda. I thought you were still with Jiyong so I thought I’d stop by,” Baekhyun turned to Sehun, “I’m Chanyeol’s neighbour.” Baekhyun declared, not telling anyone the whole truth. It wasn’t like they were trying to hide their relationship, it was just that they haven’t found the right time to tell anyone yet.

“Oh, neighbour…” Sehun doubted it. His brother seemed jumpy whenever he asked about Baekhyun but the man pressed no further. No secrets could be kept forever.

Minutes later, Minseok came with their order. He passed the tray full of drinks to Sehun, thanking him for the wait. “What were you guys talking about?”

Sehun turned his attention to the cat barista and thought it would be okay to reply to him, considering everyone is friends anyways. “Well, I just found out that Baekhyun here is my brother’s neighbour.”

“Oh, you’re Chanyeol’s brother? You are good looking like your brother as well.” Minseok praised as he leaned on the counter.

“You know my brother too?”

“Yeah, your brother and Baekhyun went on a date last time-” Before the barista could finish his sentence, Baekhyun nudged Minseok by his arm. The former mouthed ‘shut up’ to him but he couldn’t really catch the meaning. Sehun had wanted to ask more before another man walked near them and intervened.

“Minseok, Baekhyun. Other customers are waiting.” He was an attractive looking man - clear, pale skin, round eyes and full lips. He didn’t look as stern as he sounded.

Sehun knew it was cue for him and Jongdae to leave but his mischievous side got the best of him. It’s not like the man was the manager or something to dismiss them like this. “But I’m not finished with my order yet.”

“I’m sorry dear customer. I’m the manager here. If there’s a problem with your order, I’ll help you.” The man replied, flashing Sehun a forced smile.

“That's fine.” Defeated, Sehun stormed off with the tray full of drinks, pulling Jongdae along with him. “Teacher Kim, let’s go.”

Sehun grumbled under his breath something along the line ‘why does he have to be the manager’ which Jongdae found funny. They both arrived at the table where Jongin and Chanyeol were seated but the atmosphere wasn’t as light as they had thought it to be. Both of them looked solemn and no one spoke a word but the flyer on the table was loud and clear enough for them. Sehun and Jongdae didn’t need to ask more. All four of them silently turned to Jiyong who was playing with the whipped cream on his drink. Not wanting Jiyong to notice their melancholic gazes, they changed the topic and carried on with the conversation. Deep in their conversations, they hadn’t noticed one of the baristas approaching them, serving them slices of cakes.

Startled, Jongin said, “We didn’t order these.”

“Actually, it’s on the house. Mr Kim apologised for before.” Baekhyun flashed Jongin a smile which Chanyeol was not happy about. The barista noticed the sour look on his beloved’s face and couldn’t help but chuckle, unaware that Sehun noticed their stolen glances. 

Jiyong got off from his chair and went to hug Baekhyun. The little boy buried his face in the barista’s neck as the latter crouched down to pick up the boy.

“Jiyong, are you okay? What happened to him?” Baekhyun turned to Jongdae, who was the closest to him. There was slight panic in his tone.

Jongin jerked his eyebrows and whispered across to Sehun who was sitting next to Chanyeol, “Jiyong and him are close?”

“I guess? He’s my brother’s neighbour.”

“Wait- neighbour? Chanyeol was he your date during Christmas Eve?”

“I knew it. You’re actually dating him, right? Is it so hard to tell me?”

“Shut up, Sehun. I know you’ll tease me. That’s why I didn’t want to tell.”

Sehun chuckled, “You know me so well. Now watch this.” Sehun’s lips curled up in a mischievous manner. “Baekhyun. My brother has something to ask you. It’s about Jiyong. Apparently it is important and he wants to invite you.” Without missing a beat, Sehun shoved the Parent Participation Program flyer into Baekhyun’s hands, mouthing ‘thank me later’ to Chanyeol.

Chanyeol hesitated and had wanted to call off Sehun’s bluff but the barista was looking at him with such earnest eyes, waiting for Chanyeol to tell him. “Baekhyun…” He called and waited for the barista to respond to him. When he saw the little nod Baekhyun did to encourage him to go on, Chanyeol continued, “Jiyong’s nursery will have a Parent Participation Program next weekend… I was wondering if you want to attend it together with me as one of his parents?”

Baekhyun’s eyes blew wide open, completely ecstatic to hear this. His head turned to Jiyong who was now smiling from ear to ear, “Jiyong, is it okay if I attend as your parents?” When the little boy nodded enthusiastically, wrapping his short arms around Baekhyun’s neck he couldn’t contain his excitement as he twirled around. His eyes were shining, his smile was radiant.

Sehun glanced at his brother and saw the big warm smile plastered on the latter’s face. The man had never seen such an expression from Chanyeol. “My big brother really likes him, doesn’t he?” Sehun whispered to Jongdae.

“And it looks like the feelings are mutual.” Jongdae replied.

+

Days passed and the morning of the nursery’s Parents Participation Program came. Baekhyun was so excited the night before, he couldn’t fall asleep. He had been running simulations in his head, wanting the day to run smoothly and without a hitch. Sometimes when the simulation ended in a bad scenario, he would text his beloved to which the man would always assure him - ‘Jiyong would be happy either way because you are there’. Baekhyun came over Chanyeol’s apartment and rang the doorbell, his heart thumping in his chest.

“Oh, you’re here. Come in. Jiyong is ready.” Chanyeol greeted him. The radio jockey was even more good looking with his hair up. The man was wearing a white shirt underneath a black jacket paired with black pants. Baekhyun couldn’t take his eyes off him. Chanyeol noticed the stare he was getting from his love and he couldn’t help but blush.

Jiyong, on the other hand, was excited to see his Baekhyun-ie hyung. The little boy pulled on his hand and asked the man to pick him up. Baekhyun peppered the boy’s cheeks with butterfly kisses, making Jiyong giggle. “Hyung,” the little boy called, “can Yong-ie call hyung papa?”

Baekhyun was honestly flabbergasted to hear Jiyong’s request. His eyes searched Chanyeol’s and when he saw the man’s eyes widening and jaws almost dropping, the barista knew this wasn’t planned. It was genuinely Jiyong’s request to call him papa. Baekhyun had to hold in his tears, his eyes glistening and lips quivering. “Of course, Yong-ie. You can call me papa.”

Chanyeol walked closer to the two and squeezed them tight in his embrace. No words could describe the happiness he was feeling right now and the only way he could show it to them was by holding them preciously in his arms. The man kissed his lover’s forehead before letting go and slung Jiyong’s small bag over his shoulder. He took Baekhyun’s hand in his, “I hesitated before but now is the right time to say this. This  _ thing _ between us… I want it to last for a very long time. Instead of something fiery and passionate which will only burn the both of us, I wish for this love to keep us warm. For life.”

Baekhyun teared up, nodding.

As soon as they arrived at the nursery, they saw the parents flooded the nursery entrance, holding their child’s hands with smiles and twinkle in their eyes. The nursery building was filled with their laughter. Baekhyun was nervous at first and a lot of ‘what if’s overwhelmed him but seeing the parents that attended, he realised they all have something in common. He heaved a sigh of relief. They all love their children and so did he. He loves Jiyong and nothing will ever change that.

The first session was a class in which they were learning ABC. As the home teacher for Sunshine Room, Jongdae sat at the front of the room, all smiley and bright for the students and parents. He held a set of placards which had ABCs written on it. He instructed for the children to follow him in reciting the alphabets before asking them a question. “Okay everyone. What letter comes after I?” The children put up their hands, some even called the teacher so that they were given the chance to answer. Teacher Kim looked around once and decided who was going to answer his question. “Can we have Jiyong answer that?”

Hearing their kid’s name made Chanyeol and Baekhyun jump. They were chanting the answer and a few ‘you can do this’ quietly to the little boy. Jiyong turned his head around to his parents and a beaming smile decorated his face. Chanyeol and Baekhyun both gave the boy thumbs up to encourage him even more. “J!” Jiyong yelled out the correct answer and both of them cheered for him. They were so proud, claiming Jiyong as theirs and how much of a genius he is.

After class ended and they had a short snack break, it was time for Playtime with Parents. Jiyong was so excited he pulled Baekhyun everywhere, calling him papa everytime he wanted Baekhyun’s attention. Jiyong showed off his favorite toys and even offered to play together. Chanyeol leaned on the wall with Jongdae, observing the kids as they played happily with their own parents. Jongdae was the first to break the silence between them.

“Jiyong looks so happy today.”

Chanyeol smiled, “It’s my first time… Seeing Jiyong smile so brightly like that. Baekhyun is incredible.”

“Do you think Jiyong smiled like that only because of Baekhyun? It’s because you are all together with him right now. That’s why he smiles like that.” Jongdae paused, “Receiving love from these two incredible men, how could the kid not smile?”

Chanyeol chuckled, pleased to hear what Jongdae said. Chanyeol took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of Baekhyun and Jiyong together. He even recorded a video or two as they played around with the toy cars. Jongdae saw the hint of gloom on Chanyeol’s face so without hesitation, he pushed Chanyeol, causing him to stagger to Baekhyun and Jiyong. “I’m going to take a photo of you guys,” he declared and saw how the gloom lifted from Chanyeol’s face.  _ He is so easy to read _ , Jongdae thought to himself. “Say cheese!”

The three of them quickly struck a few poses before crowding around Jongdae and his camera. They gazed in awe at the photos they had captured. The three of them looked so happy together. Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s eyes were glistening as they were overwhelmed with joy. They ended up taking a whole lot of pictures that day.

Baekhyun was giving Jiyong shoulder rides with Chanyeol beside them as they walked around a park before going to dinner. Jiyong was extra giggly because he was happy he finally got to be at the same height as his daddy.

“Jiyong, what would you like to eat tonight? Daddy will buy everything that Jiyong wants.”

“Really?!” The little boy was excited to hear this. “Then Yong-ie wants to eat chicken!”

Chanyeol actually wanted pizza, though. He thought Jiyong would definitely ask for pizza. “How about pizza? Pizza is yummy too.” Chanyeol tried to coax Jiyong into wanting pizza for dinner.

The little boy wasn’t having any of this. “Papa,” he whined, “Yong-ie wants chicken!”

Jiyong was making a fuss and the barista feared the little boy would fall off his shoulders. He let Jiyong down and let Chanyeol hold the little boy’s hand. “Okay, Yong-ie. Papa will ask Daddy to buy us chicken, okay?” Baekhyun straightened his back and his eyes bore into Chanyeol. He pursed his lips in a pout and wrapped his hands around Chanyeol’s arms. He looked so innocent. “Chanyeol-ie… Baekhyun-ie and Yong-ie want to eat chicken.” He said it in a cutesy manner.

Chanyeol had never agreed on something as fast as he did now.

Jiyong let go of Chanyeol’s hand to high-five Baekhyun, excited for dinner. The little boy and his papa were jumping up and down, celebrating their victory. The scene warmed Chanyeol’s heart. He made a promise to himself that he would never let Baekhyun go and spend every second with him. He will be holding on to this promise until the day he dies.

After an exhausting day together, the day ended and they were cuddled up in Baekhyun’s apartment after Sehun insisted to tuck Jiyong in bed and that they should have some alone time together. 

“Baekhyun, thank you so much.”

“For what?”

“For taking care of Jiyong so well.”

Baekhyun smiled as he ran his fingers on his sweetheart’s chest, “Somehow hearing you say thank you for this makes me feel lonely. It feels cold.” The barista scooted closer and took Chanyeol’s hand in his, interlocking their fingers together. “Let’s stop being strangers…” He stopped for a while, glancing up to Chanyeol. “And start being a family. I want to keep both of you by my side. Just as you wished for a long lasting love that will keep us warm, I too yearn for the same thing. Us three, together. For life,” Baekhyun declared.

Their hearts were beating faster and faster as they drew closer, their lips brushed against one another. Chanyeol pressed his mouth to Baekhyun’s, softly at first before daring himself to taste more of this fresh peppermint taste. For a long time, they kissed and Chanyeol was amazed at how Baekhyun ruled him, smiling in between breaths before luring him back in. Craving for more, Baekhyun climbed onto Chanyeol, straddling him.

Chanyeol’s instinct took over as his tongue ran down Baekhyun’s neck, his hand sliding under the latter’s shirt to feel the smooth skin. His other hand squeezed Baekhyun’s clothed thigh before letting it wander on his hips and pulled his love closer to him.

Baekhyun drew back just far enough for their eyes to meet, to see Chanyeol’s tousled hair and those sinful lips. “Chanyeol,” he whispered, his voice dripping with lust. This is an invite, a consent for his lover to continue further.

Chanyeol’s calloused hands were pushing Baekhyun’s pants down. His palm pressed on his lover’s hard on, circling enticingly. “Here?”

“Yes.”

“You are so beautiful, Baekhyun.” His hand that was under Baekhyun’s shirt slowly traced his bare skin, brushing his thumb on the nipple, sending a wave of pleasure down his lover’s spine.

Unconsciously, Baekhyun let out a moan, his hips jutting forward for more friction against Chanyeol’s palm. He needed more. More. Chanyeol understood Baekhyun’s desperate plea, wrapping his hand around the shaft and pumped it hard, watching Baekhyun’s head lolling back. Chanyeol took the chance to ravish the exposed slender neck, painting black and blues on the milky white skin.

“Inside me,” Baekhyun demanded. His fingers were tracing the entrance, caressing it open, wetting it with his saliva to welcome Chanyeol. Baekhyun lined himself against Chanyeol, closing his eyes as he slowly sank down and felt his lover touching him, fitting right inside him. Baekhyun moved his hips up and down, slowly before bouncing on his lover’s thick girth. His mind was all over the place. “Move.”

“As you wish, baby.” Chanyeol started moving, chasing the high they craved for. His hips fucking his lover, his tongue licking the barista’s nipples. Wanting to feel Baekhyun closer, Chanyeol flipped their positions and started moving again, faster this time.

The barista hooked his arms and legs tight around Chanyeol’s torso, holding on, not to lose his senses. Baekhyun’s mind focused only on the pleasure building up until it was unbearable, he moaned loudly as Chanyeol’s blazing heat overwhelmed him, painting white inside him and all over his torso. He shuddered in his lover’s embrace, high with pleasure.

“I love you.” Chanyeol whispered in his ears, breathing heavily to catch his breath.

Baekhyun’s eyes fluttered open and found Chanyeol’s, “I love you too.”

+

“Good morning, Teacher Kim!”

Jiyong greeted the nursery teacher brightly, taking off his shoes like the good boy he was. Jongdae returned the greeting and patted the little boy’s head, complimenting him over and over again.

“Hello, Teacher Kim.” Sehun greeted the man.

“Good morning, Sehun.” Jongdae scanned around before he continued, “Where are Chanyeol and Baekhyun?”

“Them? They uhh… They’re a little busy.”

“Ah, really? Actually, I had printed the photos from the Parent Participation Program.” Jongdae reached inside his apron pocket and gave Sehun an envelope. “I just thought that maybe they wanted it printed as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Teacher Kim.” Sehun thanked the nursery teacher before pulling out the pictures from inside the envelope. The man shuffled through the pictures and saw how happy his brother was.

Jongdae snatched one of the pictures in Sehun’s hands and called Jiyong over. “Jiyong, do you want to hang this picture together?”

The little boy nodded enthusiastically and Jongdae handed over the picture to him. The nursery teacher lifted Jiyong up, just enough for him to be able to pin the picture on the Meet My Family board. Instead of the stick figure drawings the little boy drew, now the board is decorated with a picture of Jiyong’s family. A family that is his, for life.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you much for reading this! What are your thoughts on the fic? Comment down below, I love reading through the comments^^ (or you don't have to, I'm totally cool with it :D)


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